In the heat of the moment
by morgan1248
Summary: This story follows an alternate ending for Meow. What if Max's midnight ride led her to a familiar penthouse?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I began this story a long time ago and just rediscovered it on my computer. While I realize that a Max/Logan heat story is hardly original, I always wondered what might have happened if the two hooked up without first discussing their feelings. This story will be multi-chapter. For purposes of plot, the first chapter is fairly explicit; please do not read if that offends you. **

Max couldn't sleep. Not that she did much anyways. She tossed and turned in her bed for hours before deciding that, if necessary, she would crawl over OC's limp body just to get out. It felt like her skin was literally crawling, she was so wired. She grabbed her jacket and her keys, growled a goodbye to OC, and ran.

She made it about 3 blocks before she realized that 600ccs of raw power between her legs really wasn't a solution to her problem. Max knew she was in trouble when cruising on her baby failed to settle her into a mindless state of calm. When she braked in front of Logan's penthouse, she couldn't remember any of the streets that led her to this destination. She actually paused to look down at her wheels, as though the chrome and steel had a mind of its own. She must have sat staring up at the penthouse window for a half hour before sighing in resignation. If she was honest with herself, she knew that, consciously or not, the moment she left her apartment she set herself on a collision course with Logan.

In honor of their anniversary, she decided to enter through the skylight. This particular entrance, while having a satisfying sense of symmetry, had the added advantage of being silent. She crept through the darkened apartment as silently has her feline DNA would allow. Even in the throes of heat, she had enough awareness to be surprised that Logan was asleep. She had enough experience dropping by at all hours of the night to know that he didn't keep banker's hours. She worried more about waking him during the midday. Max wasn't sure if it was the heat-befuddled or the still-functioning side of her brain that was disappointed to find Logan in his bed.

Logan's bedroom was the one area of the apartment in which she never spent much time. As happy as she was to invade his fridge or shower, she knew that he need at least one space that was off limits to her. Now, she leaned against the doorjamb of the master bedroom, trying to decide whether to take the literal and figurative first step inside. It was times like these that Max cursed her revved up senses. Her excellent night vision allowed her to fully appreciate the sight of Logan sprawled out across his king-sized bed, naked from the waist up. In fact, for all Max knew, he was simply naked. All she could see was the midnight blue comforter slung precariously low across Logan's hips. Max stood transfixed, watching his toned chest rise and fall as she listened to the hypnotic sound of Logan's deep and even breathing. Max tried to match its rhythm, willing her body to calm as every sense she had screamed for her to pounce on Logan before he had a chance to fully wake.

Max couldn't say how long she teetered on the edge of wanting before digging up every once of that perfect Manitcore control that she could find. She flung herself away from Logan's doorway, forcing herself to take each torturous step away from Logan's room. She made it as far as the living room, before she exhausted all of her control. She perched restless on the edge of Logan's couch, desperately wishing that OC was there to slap her silly.

Logan awoke to the sound of unfamiliar movement in his apartment. He fumbled blindly for his glasses on the bedside table. Putting them on, he peered at the clock by his head that read 4:30 a.m. As he listened intently, he heard the sound again. It was a rough tapping noise coming from his living room. A younger Logan might have ignored the small noise and gone to bed, but Eyes Only had too many good reasons to be paranoid. For the millionth time, Logan cursed the unmoving lower half of his body as he slid himself into his wheelchair as silently as possible. He briefly considered the exoskeleton, but he decided it was still too untried to use if there really was an intruder in his house. Reaching into his bedside table, he slightly drew his 9 mm from the drawer before heading off in the direction of the noise.

The shaking figure didn't turn at his approach. Logan was concerned by her body language as Max hugged her arms tightly around her body, gently rocking back and forth. "Max." He queried softly. Her eyes were wide and her face flushed, if Logan didn't know better he would have mistaken her for a strung-out junkie looking for a fix. On reflection, he realized that might actually be the case.

"Seizures, again? I have meds in the bathroom if you need them." Logan was concerned by Max's lack of response. "Are you okay? If they're bad this time, I can call Sam or Bling. I'm sure they can score something that'll help." When Logan still didn't receive a response, he reached down to wheel himself towards the phone.

"I'm not sick, I'm in heat."

Logan was so surprised to hear the desperate note in Max's voice; he failed to register her words immediately. "Don't worry I'll get Bling to come…I'm sorry, you're in what?" Logan's distracted tone took on an urgent note as he finally took in her statement.

"Just another fun side affect of being Frankenstein's creation, I'll be fine." Max's body language belied her casual tone. She looked to be teetering on the edge of control.

"I've always preferred to think of you as Galatea, Pygmalion's work of art come to life." He responded with a ruthful smile, trying not to show how worried he was.

"Yeah, well the 'creation' killed the master in the end, so I'm kinda preferring the Frankenstein reference at the moment."

Logan suppressed his urge to smile as he navigated the conversation back to its start. "You really need to give me more details before I can help here."

"Simple really, the clever doctors at Manticore were either bigger sadists then I thought, or they made a few mistakes along the way." Logan looked at her quizzically, head cocked to one side. "feline DNA, let's me jump over walls, but about three times a year it has me climbing them, looking to jump any guy I meet."

"Max, I----", Logan reached out to gently touch her knee as he spoke, only to have Max swiftly move away from him.

"Touching me probably isn't the smartest thing to do right now." She shifted in her seat, avoiding eye contact with Logan as she tried to erase the sting from her words. "I hate this, Logan. Every loser I've ever hooked up with, every pathetic relationship, all of them have been because of this Bitch. You know, find a random guy, hook up for a one night stand and then try to pretend like you actually wanted to have relationship with some clown my hormones chose rather then my heart." Max glanced up at Logan faces only to quickly look away. She couldn't face the mixture of sympathy and pity she found there.

"I hate this, it feels like no matter how far or fast I run I can never completely escape from them. I left so I could be free, choose my own life, control my own destiny." She laughed bitterly, "I can't even control my own body."

Logan couldn't stand to hear anymore. He couldn't stand to hear the pain in Max's normally stoic voice. He knew that part of her would hate herself tomorrow for confessing as much as she had tonight.

"Max, its okay." He said, this time reaching for her cheek, heedless of her warning. Her hand brushed his away violently.

"It's not okay Logan! I jumped Normal today. Normal! I can't stand the uptight jerk, but it didn't stop me from slamming him against the wall and… That's why I cancelled dinner, I knew if I could do that to I guy I loathe, there was no way I could be around you without…….." Max abruptly cut herself off, leaving Logan to marvel at her near confession.

"I have to go." She said, hastily jumping to her feet, as skirting around the coffee table keeping enough distance between she and Logan as possible.

"Max, wait!" Logan cried, surprised that she heeded his request for once. Max was torn between her mind and her body. Her head was screaming for her to get out while she still could and her body wanted nothing but Logan. She kept facing the door, trying to ignore the sight of Logan clad only in his boxers behind her. Every rational thought in her head told her she should leave, but she couldn't override the combined will of her heart and her body. It was all she could do to stay frozen in place as Logan wheeled himself closer.

"What will you do if you leave, Max?" Logan asked gently, concern heavy in his voice.

"What I've always done."

The rational part of her brain finally won out as she headed for the penthouse door. Logan moved more swiftly in the chair then she ever expected, grabbing her arm before she had made it more then a few steps.

"Max don't."

The words barely escaped Logan's lips before Max was upon him. Her control snapped as she threw herself onto his chair. Balancing precariously on the small space between Logan's numb legs and the arm of the chair, she kissed him hungrily, her lips attacking Logan's. Logan hesitated for a few brief moments before burying his hands in her hair and pulling her in closer. She tasted just has he had dreamed, like an exotic spice he couldn't name. After a few desperate moments, Max settled into the task of seducing Logan's mouth, gently licking his lips before sucking Logan's bottom lip and gently biting him. His groan was silenced as she swallowed his eager tongue into her own mouth, each teasing and tasting each other in turn.

As swiftly as she has there Max pulled away from Logan. He leaned forward in his chair, eagerly trying to recapture her lips. She smiled down at him with an expression he had never seen on Max's face before. She was always attractive to him, but now her eyes held a look that could only be described as pure sex, it was more then any man could resist. In a swift motion, she threw her black leather jacket to the ground and drew her purple sweater up over her head. Logan's breath caught as he was treated to the sight of Max, clad only in a bra from the waist up, trembling above him. He had only the briefest of moments to appreciate the sight before Max was back on him, kissing a trail down his neck as she pressed her nearly bare skin to his naked chest. Any rational thought Logan might have had fled his mind as his dreams came to life. He toyed with the straps of Max's black bra as she drew it down of her should his lips tracing the strap's path as it fell. He kissed back up her shoulder and neck to seize her earlobe between his teeth, the sound of Max's moan made the blood rush from his head as it pooled in other areas. Max reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, but Logan brushed her hands away. He ran his fingertips up her back as his hands cupped around her shoulders. Starting at her neck, Logan kissed an agonizingly slow trail over Max's collarbone to the swell of her breast. Hearing Max's breath come in pants, he tipped his tongue just under her bra, once again drawing delicious moans from Max's throat. Logan took a moment to smile up at her, before seizing the edge of her bra and drawing it down over her nipple. Rather then taking the pink bud into his mouth, he blew on it gently, watching it tighten. His tongue flicked out to draw slow circles around the edges of her nipple as Max's breath caught in her throat. When Logan felt she'd finally had enough, he swiftly drew her enflamed bud into his mouth sucking hard. Max screamed roughly in response. Tired of teasing, she reached back to unclasp her bra and threw it to the ground as her hands went swiftly for the edge of Logan's boxers.

Logan couldn't be sure if it was the sound of Max's scream or the sight of her bare breasts that finally brought him to his senses. It was as though he woke from a dream to realize that his friend and partner really was throwing herself at him, and he was more then willing to be seduced. He pushed against her shoulders until she drew back to stand on the floor in front of him, leaning eagerly over the chair.

"Max, wait. This isn't you." He tried to speak evenly as he struggled to control his own racing pulse and labored breathing.

Max's eyes were wild as she tried to lean in and recapture his lips, "Please Logan, I need...I can't stop...please." She was barely coherent as her hands traveled hungrily over Logan's bare chest. He stopped their exploration firmly grasping her hands in his. Looking into her wild eyes, he pulled her towards him, until she once again perched in his lap. He took her face in both hands as his thumb brushed a damp strand of hair away from her face. It felt like forever, but it was mere moments before Logan nodded, coming to a decision. He pulled her face in to his to kiss her roughly, his lips bruising hers as he ate at her mouth. Tearing his lips away from her mouth, he kissed a burning path across her cheek to her ear. He toyed with her earlobe briefly before whispering in her ear.

"Does it have to be intercourse?" Max looked at him in surprise, not quite knowing where the question had came from. Logan looked at her steadily before continuing, "Does it have to be sex? Or just an orgasm?" Max bit her lip in confusion has she tried to climb her way out of her heat filled state to answer his question.

"I--I don't know." It was all she could verbalize, in a more rational frame of mind she would have told him that she'd never experimented with her heat cycles. Short of trying to stop acting on her impulses altogether, she had never tested herself to see how far she really needed to go. More often then not, guys were perfectly willing to surrender to her animalistic advances.

Logan saw the confusion and desperation in Max's gaze. It was answer enough for him. Shifting her in his lap, he turned Max until her back was to his chest. Cradling her almost as though she were a child, he ran his hands over her body trying to calm her feverish state. He could feel her impatience as her ran his hands down the smooth planes of her stomach, his fingertips stoping just under the waistband of her jeans.

"Max?" Logan's voice questions softly against her ear.

Max felt like she was on fire. She had always thought that Logan's voice could be incredibly sexy when he chose. Hearing him breathe her name in her ear was almost enough to send her over the edge. She arched her body upwards, forcing Logan's fingers further down where she ached for his touch. At the first taste of his heated fingers, Max moaned roughly as Logan's lips simultaneously captured her earlobe. With all of cat-like agility, Max stood to remove the remainder of her clothes and returned to her former position before Logan's brain had time to register the fact that she had moved. His hands returned to her body as Max rocked against his aching for relief. Logan continued to kiss Max's neck roughly as his fingers moved inside her, bringing her to the edge of release. He brought his other hand to cup her breast as Max began to shiver with the force of her orgasm. Logan couldn't ear his gaze away from the amazing line of Max's body as she trembled in his lap from the force of her release.

As her shudders subsided, Max curled sideways in Logan's lap. Logan wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep or merely passed out, but he knew that she probably wouldn't want to wake up naked and cold, curled up in his uncomfortable wheelchair. Reaching around Max's prone body, he wheeled the two of them to his bedroom. Stopping just at the edge of his bed, he realized that there was no way he could transfer her from the chair to his bed. Without the use of his legs, he laced the proper leverage.

"Max." He said shaking her gently, "You have to help me here." Max vaguely registered Logan's voice through her haze of sleep. She rolled sleepily onto his bed, curling once again on her side. Logan, relieved that she had moved so easily, transferred himself from the chair to his bed and curled in alongside Max, drawing the comforter up around the two of them.

Hours later, Max woke to the sound of pounding in her ears. Coming fully awake with a start, she realized that the pounding was Logan's heartbeat. She felt an instant of terror as she realized that she lay naked in Logan's sprawled across his chest. As the memories of the previous night flooded back to her, Max felt as overwhelming urge to flee. As she began to ease herself off of Logan, his arm went rigid where he held her loosely across her back. Startled, Max looked up to find Logan's piercing blue eyes starting into hers. His gaze was neutral and evaluating, as though he was trying to gauge her mood in the harsh light of day. Coming to a decision, he ran his hands down her back in a soothing gesture.

"Please stay." He asked quietly. There was no begging or desperation in his voice, yet Max couldn't ignore the quiet vulnerability contained in his request. She settled uneasily back against Logan's chest, letting the oblivion of sleep claim her.

When Logan woke up, hours later, she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you all for your kind reviews. I'm genuinely and pleasantly surprised to see how many people are reading this story. This chapter is fairly short, but necessary to establish Max's state of mind. I promise more Max/Logan interaction soon. _(Some dialogue borrowed from Meow. Sadly, it is not mine,)_**

Max was disappointed to discover it wasn't possible to drown herself in the shower.

As there was no hot water to start with, Max didn't notice the time passing as her tears mingled with the tepid water streaming from the showerhead above. Drained, she emerged from the bathroom to find Original Cindy waiting for her with a cup of something that resembled coffee and a 'spill-it' look on her face. Max sighed in surrender and reluctantly recounted the previous night's events to OC.

"You just ran out?!' OC exclaimed incredulously after Max finished her story. Max blushed an even deeper red as she defended herself.

"I panicked, girl. I've never woken up in bed with someone else before." Max admitted quietly.

"Okay, that's just sad. But it don't change the fact that you have to deal with the reality of this situation, Boo. So, what are you gonna do about it."

"Hide?" Max suggested, earning a fierce look from OC.

"That might of worked on some of the losers that you hooked up with in the past. But this is Logan we're talking about. He deserves better then that." Cindy steered Max to the couch and then flopped down next to her.

"Aiight, Originally Cindy gonna break it down for you, Boo. You can sing the blues all you want about how what you did was wrong and bad, but that's just a bunch of B.S. The truth is that you love Logan."

"We're not even like that." Max wouldn't meet Cindy's eyes. "The fact is that we'd both be better off if we never even met." OC gave a snorted incredulously, but otherwise remained silent. "He has to spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair because of me."

"I didn't see you on TV pulling no trigger."

"But I could have protected him and I didn't." Max's voice was becoming more passionate. "That's on me 100 percent. I'm nothing but trouble. I'm poison. The best thing for me to do is keep my distance before I get him killed."

OC had an almost uncontrollable urge to knock some sense into Max.

"Well, he doesn't seem to be too worried about that. After last night, it's safe to say distance is the last thing Logan wants." This time it was Max's turn to look frustrated.

"Please, OC, last night wasn't about Logan wanting me, it was about pity---OW!" Max, yelped as Cindy finally gave into the urge smack her roommate upside the head.

"The way that boy goes around looking at you all dreamy-eyed?! If he hooked up with you, pity ain't had nothing to do with it."

Deep down, Max knew that Original Cindy was right; there had been an attraction between her and Logan from the first time they met. Despite the obvious chemistry between the two of them, she knew it would be dangerous to act on that attraction.

"Logan's not just some guy, OC. He's the first guy that I've been friends with for longer then two months." Max cut OC off before she could interject, "Sketchy and Herbal don't count. I could leave tomorrow and they'd forget my name in a week. Logan is the first normal person to know everything about me and he doesn't care; doesn't judge. I never knew how much I needed that in my life until I met him."

"Boo, those are all reasons why you should run straight back to your boy's penthouse."

Max laughed bitterly. "I'm already worried about Logan stepping in front of a bullet that's meant for me and ending up in a body bag instead of a wheelchair. We get to together and it'll only be worse. Logan practically kills himself for strangers all the time." Max paused for a long time, considering her next words carefully. "Besides, the truth is; I'm a mess."

"No argument here, girl." OC hugged Max in an attempt to soften the sting from her words and to hide her confusion at Max's morose tone.

"What was it that Darren said? That my perimeter defense systems are fully intact?" Max mused, leaning into Original Cindy, accepting the comfort she offered.

"You actually listened to what your ex-no-good-cheating-loser had to say?" Cindy asked defiantly.

"He was right, OC. Manticore taught me how to be a great soldier, but they never taught me anything about being a girl. I get into this with Logan and I'll end up hurting him, one way or another."

OC knew when she was on the losing end of an argument. She pulled Max's untouched coffee from her hands and began to gather up the tissues that littered the couch. Even in defeat, however, she couldn't resist getting in the last word.

"You gonna have to step to the real about you and Logan sooner or later, Boo, or your little head's gonna explode."

With those final words of wisdom, Original Cindy left Max alone to brood.


	3. Chapter 3

Max stared at her pager as though it was likely to sprout fangs and take a chunk out of her hand. Three days. It took Logan three days to get around to paging her. Max assured herself that she was relieved that he had given her space. Still, she figured a card-carrying member of the white knight and savior club would be a little quicker on the draw when it came to calling girls he nearly had sex with. Of course, this internal monologue didn't help Max deal with the reality of the buzzing pager in her had.

"Boo, you think if you stare at the thing long enough the number 's gonna to change? "

As much as Max loved Original Cindy, she wished like hell that OC hadn't chosen that moment to walk into the locker room at Jam Pony. Max had been like a robot for the past three days. She lost herself in the simplicity of delivering packages. Normal had taken to watching her like a newly-tamed lion he was training. As pleased he was by her sudden efficiency (her runs had quadrupled in the past three days), he was wary of the moment when she would decide to maul him. OC alone among Max's coworkers watched Max's bid to become the employee of the month in silent amusement.

'So, you gonna finally go see him?" OC queried, not even trying to keep the humor out of her voice. Max hastily stuffed her beeper into her backpack, feigning nonchalance.

"I dunno." Max shrugged, "Its awkward right now, might be best for everyone if we let things cool for awhile." She busied herself with the straps on her bag before moving on the gears on her bike, deliberately avoiding Original Cindy's gaze.

"Whatever you say, Boo." OC murmured as she brushed past Max. Max was relieved that OC let her off the hook that easily. She sauntered out of the locker room and collected an armful of packages from Normal at the front desk. She had one foot half way out the door when she heard OC call after her.

"Max, you said the reason you couldn't be in a relationship with the boy was 'cus you needed him too badly in your life. What's the point if you avoid him either way?"

The rest of the afternoon involved Max silently cursing OC and her penchant for having the last word. She was in a black mood that went unchecked despite few hours of sunshine that interrupted Seattle's perpetual rain. It was the type of day where she would normally knock off work and go rout around in Logan's fridge. For obvious reasons, that option was off-limits as well.

It took until dinner time for Max to make up her mind. As much as she loathed admitting it: OC was right. Plus, her cat-like curiosity couldn't help but wonder what made Logan blink first and contact her. She debated knocking or ringing the doorbell to Logan's penthouse, but she decided that deviating from her typical pattern of barging in a bellowing Logan's name (not-withstanding the occasional stealth entry designed to catch Logan unaware), would be tantamount to admitting that there was tension between the two of them. She would choose false bravado over vulnerability any day of the week.

"Hey," She greeted Logan as she strode into his kitchen. "You beeped?" She questioned, eyebrows raised as she casually popped a carrot from the salad Logan was working on into her mouth. Logan almost toppled his chair as he spun in reaction to Max's sudden arrival.

"Max, hey----yeah I thought we should talk--------I ummmm got a tip, I wasn't sure if it was okay to call---------I wanted to see you, I---." Logan stopped to run a hand nervously through his hair and he paused to regroup. After a moment, he smiled ruthfully and settled for comfortably into his chair.

"I'm babbling, aren't I?" He asked conversationally. Max couldn't help but smile and nod, her awkwardness momentarily forgotten at Logan's obvious unease. Somehow it comforted her to see that Logan was just as unsure how to act around her as she was around him.

"Drink?" Logan offered, uncorking a bottle of cheap champagne. This meeting was not going quite according to his plans. He finally worked up the courage to page Max after spending three days in limbo; unsure of whether she wanted to see him. He had planned to unveil the new exoskeleton that evening, but it had shorted out as he was cooking dinner. The last thing he wanted was to face plant as soon as Max walked through the door. So, he was relegated once again to his wheelchair, and dinner was now late.

"Champagne? Are we celebrating?" Max asked smiling, but there was a tightness around her eyes.

"Well, the way I see it," Logan explained as he poured the champagne into flutes, "We never did get to celebrate our anniversary. Besides, I told myself if you showed up tonight that would be reason enough to celebrate." Logan fixed Max with an intense and unblinking stare as he handed her the glass. His fingers casually brushed hers as she took the champagne; Max jerked as though she'd been burned.

"Logan." Max said softly, her tone half-pleading and half-warning. She wasn't yet ready to shatter the momentary calm they had found. She hastily gulped at her champagne only to choke at Logan's next words.

"I'm sorry, Max."

"Sorry?" Max repeated, startled to hear her own thoughts come from Logan's mouth. Logan, unsure of how to react to her parrot-like response, forged ahead with his apology.

"The other night, I should have reacted better. I shouldn't have let things get out of control. I should have been prepared. I should have….."

"Refused the hormonally-charged girl who broke into your apartment and threw herself at you?" Max asked with an ironic smile. As embarrassed as she was by her actions, she was amused that Logan could lay all the blame on himself.

Logan gave her a reproachful look before responding softly, "You weren't yourself, Max. I knew that and I still let things get out of control."

"Why did you?" Max asked curiously. She had spent so much of the past few days examining her own motivations and beating herself up for that night; it never occurred to her that Logan might have a reason to feel guilty.

Max's lack of anger unnerved Logan. He had expected her to yell, hit, or generally blame him for the other night. In many ways, he had expected her to act betrayed; like a drunk girl taken advantage of by a close friend. Despite all of his previous interactions with her, it never ceased to amaze Logan when Max failed to act as a typical girl.

Logan leaned backing his wheelchair as he considered her question. After a few minutes, Max had begun to expect that he wouldn't answer her when he finally spoke.

"Max, the other morning I woke up with one of the most beautiful women I've ever met, naked in my arms." Logan avoided her eyes as he uttered these words. "All I could think was that a normal man would be ecstatic. I was terrified."

Max murmured a negative response almost against her will, although whether it was in response to his comment on her beauty or his terror, she wasn't sure. Logan continued on as though he hadn't heard her.

"I was terrified because I thought that one of the best friends I've ever had would wake up and never forgive me. I've spent a lot of time asking myself what I would have done differently. The truth is, no matter how much I tell myself that I should have found another way, there is nothing I would do differently. Because the only thing I could imagine worse then you waking up in my arms and hating me; would be you waking up in someone else's arms, hating yourself." With these final words, Logan finally found the courage to look into Max's eyes. He was surprised to find them full of tears.

In that moment, if her emotions hadn't been so raw, Max would have hugged Logan fiercely. She knew that her brothers and sisters loved her; though it was an odd dysfunctional type of love, tied in with Manticore's teachings of duty and the group over the individual. But, Logan's simple declaration that her piece of mind mattered above his own touched her in a way that nothing else ever had.

Unsurprisingly, words failed her when it came to expressing the emotions churning through her. Instead of trying to express them, Max opted to speak the first thought that came to her mind

"I could never hate you." She blurted, her tone suggesting Logan was an idiot for thinking otherwise. Her annoyed and chiding tone was such an abrupt change that Logan couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, that's a relief." He said, smiling. Max had moved on to pace in his living room in front of the picture windows.

"I mean, honestly, Logan. I've spent the past few days trying to figure out how I was going to apologize to you and you thought I hated you?" Max launched to the offensive, feeling more comfortable raging at Logan for being a dumbass then reacting to his heartfelt words. "I took advantage of you! I woke you up in the middle of the night, jumped you, and you didn't even get to…..I mean you didn't try to, well……You didn't get anything out of it." Max finished lamely. Despite their heat-induced tryst, or maybe because of it, Max felt incredibly uncomfortable discussing the mechanics of sex with Logan. Her oblique reference to his lack of fulfillment was the best she could do.

"I got something out of it." Logan stated, leaning forward in his chair. The perplexed look on Max's face, as she searched her memory for missing moments from that night, was almost enough to start Logan laughing again. He rolled up beside Max, deliberately looking out over the city rather then at her.

"You came to _me_, Max." He said softly, almost whispering. "All the guys that would take what you offered no questions asked, and you came to me. I haven't felt like a man, or at least not a man that women would be attracted to, since I end up in this chair. But the other night, you didn't see me as someone that was broken. You reminded me that I didn't lose the ability to kiss a woman, to touch her, to give her pleasure, along with the loss of my legs. We're friends, Max, and I know that what happened the other night can't happen again. But that night, being with you, it was the only time I can think of in the past year that I felt whole."

For the second time that night, Max wished that Logan could be more like his father; a manly man who didn't believe in introspection or express his feelings. Once again, Logan stirred up emotions she didn't know how to process. Logan's newfound willingness to open up about his feelings towards her and towards his paralysis was too new for her to fully comprehend, especially as they came in the same breath as the statement that the other night could never happen again.

After a few moments she rested her hand on Logan's chair and leaned against him in a platonic, conspiratorial gesture. Max smiled down at Logan, their faces inches apart.

"So we're cool then." She asked with a small smile, effectively summarizing their conversation and dismissing it as water under the bridge. Logan couldn't help but smile and shake his head. Once again, he had expected the girl response and got the soldier's instead. He couldn't help but admire the audacity of her directness and her avoidance.

"Yeah, we're cool." He agreed. His voice pitched low enough to bring shivers down Max's spine. She held his eyes for a moment, unable to read the emotion in their depths. Ultimately, she came to a decision, breaking off eye contact and striding towards the kitchen.

"So tell me about this tip you got."


End file.
